Burg Heimhof

Burg Heimhof stands on a rocky spur above the Hausener valley in the Oberpfalz. It was built in the 14th century by the lords of Haimenhofen and later passed through the hands of knights such as Heinrich Ettenstätter and Dietrich Staufer. In the 16th century the family of Loefen, a newly ennobled iron-working dynasty, converted it into a Renaissance palace. The castle is a rare surviving medieval residence in the region and still shows its original layout. A deep well in the courtyard once supplied water and hides an escape tunnel beneath. The four-storey great house and the half-timbered gatehouse rebuilt by Bodo Ebhardt recall its military past. Visitors see a group of stone buildings arranged around a cobbled courtyard. The Jägerhaus and the Veste Haus preserve original fittings, while the New Palace shows the Loefen additions. A partly rock-cut ditch and the remains of the west wall mark the old defences. From the spur the view stretches across the valley towards the Fichtelgebirge.